Back when I was a kid, Grandma used to tell me stories about coon hunting. No, I'm not talking about our furry little friends with the Zorro masks, I'm talking about the old derogatory term for black folks. See, in the South, a few generations back, when black folks got too uppity and started having delusions of grandeur about running for President or some other foolishness, the Good Ol' Boys would pack their rifles and do a little "coon hunting" to put them back in their places. I thought about Grandma's tales when I heard about Rush Radio's upcoming event.

On June 5th, Raliegh NC Clear Channel affiliate, WRDU's, Morning Rush Morning Show, will sponsor, "Girls With Guns" an event that, according to their website "will provide an overview of firearm safety and training in the basic operation of several different types of firearms." After the training the ladies will be able to perfect their "newly acquired skills at an open shoot." Don't worry, the hubbies aren't going to be left out as they are encouraged to grab their guns and participate in the "sniper shooting contest."

Now, it is not unusual for radio stations to do promotions. Urban stations often throw swim suit jammie jams with scantily clad women walking around in bikinis. However, conservative radio stations are different, they have target practice parties with Sarah Palin wanna-bees totin' semi-automatic weapons.

If you have listened to 106.1 FM's, Morning Rush you will know that every morning they have a list of folks whom they diss , ad nauseum; African Americans, Latinos and of course, the big man, himself, President Barack Obama.

Since, it's conversion to conservative talk, WRDU has been a haven for disgruntled white folks who feel that this country is being snatched from their clutches. Usually, the format is just Obama bashin' and folks blowin' off steam about illegal aliens and welfare cheats but when you throw guns into the picture, that's a whole 'nother story. Maybe the station owners never heard that racists and rifles don't mix.

Ever since the '08 election there have been those who believe that Blacks and Latinos are taking over America and any day now the Feds are gonna run in and start snatchin' guns, leaving the Good Ol' Boys with no way to defend themselves.

It has been reported that right after the election, gun sells rose, dramatically. Also, during that period, a Georgia store owner caused quite a stir when she held an "Obama Gun Sale."

Recently, Sarah Palin was quoted as saying, "Obama would ban guns if he could," further fueling the flames of Right Wing paranoia. This leads us to where we are now, conservative radio stations holding heavily armed group therapy sessions.

What would happen if the local Hip Hop radio station announced that they were going to sponsor a "Gangstaz with Gunz" party at a shooting range in the 'hood? You can bet that anti-violence activists would be holding prayer vigils from now till kingdom come, begging black folks to stop the violence and follow the teachings of Martin Luther King. However, when Right Wingers pick up rifles, there is no such outcry.

Fortunately for some, urban radio stations are more interested in "gun buy back programs," and trading weapons for Lil Wayne CDs than passing out ammo.

The fear of "Negroes With Guns," has always superseded the 2nd Amendment. It was not until events like Robert Williams arming his "Deacons for Defense" to protect the black folks in Monroe, NC back in the 50's or the Black Panther Party storming into the Sacramento State Capitol in 1967, that gun control even became an issue.

This double standard is a classic example of what writer, Tim Wise, refers to as white privilege. In his recent article, "Imagine if the Tea Party Were Black" he defines white privilege as " the ability to threaten others, to engage in violent and incendiary rhetoric without consequence, to be viewed as patriotic and normal no matter what you do, and never to be feared and despised as people of color would be."

Sure there are some that would argue that there is nothing sinister about a few friends getting together at a firing range to chew the fat over the issues of the day. That seems innocent enough. (And Hitler's Youth March was just a 5k run.)

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they used a giant poster of the First Family for target practice.

Let's keep it real. Nobody buys a gun unless he prepares to use it. With the rhetoric being spewed daily on Rush Radio, I think that the intended targets are obvious.

The last thing this community needs is a bunch of paranoid, pistol packin' mamas and pappas with itchy trigger fingers.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

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